Networks
Deciding to add a network to your home or office comes with many important decisions. Before anything else, you need to
decide how much money you want to invest in your network. This, of course, is partly dependent on how many computers you are planning on networking and how
important your network is to you.
Below are different network configurations that you may be interested in. The menu to the left will also help guide you to any of these areas of interest.
Token Ring
A ring topology network is a local area network (LAN) where all computers are connected in a closed, single, logical communication loop.
Each device is connected directly to two other devices, one on either side. A technique called token passing manages line access so that two messages are not
transmitted at the same time. A token is a frame of bits (the token may be "empty" or contain a message) that is passed from one station to the next. When a
computer needs to transmit data and receives an empty token, it holds onto the token and records its own address, the destination address, and the message
into the token before passing it on to the next station.
Advantages of a ring topology:
- It can span greater distances than other network types
- The level of deterioration is low because each station repeats the signal
- The number of collisions is low because only the station that holds the token can transmit
Wireless
Wireless networks are becoming more popular every day. There are a variety of medias used to transport the data, including radio
signals and infrared lasers. Wireless hardware includes keyboards, mice, modems, and routers.
Advantages of wireless networks:
- Easier to configure
- No cables to get tangled up
- Easier to troubleshoot
Ethernet
Ethernet is by far the most widely used media access method today because it offers a nice balance between cost speed, and ease of
installation. Since Ethernet utilizes shared media between computers, there are rules for sending packets of data to avoid collisions and protect the data. Care
should be taken to minimize these collisions, which can occur becasue there are too many users on the network contending for bandwidth.
Advantages of Ethernet:
- Cheapest type of network to set up
- Easy to configure
- The most common of all netword types
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